"It [the draft] wasn't hyped up for me because I knew I wasn't going top 10 unless someone was crazy," West told the Cincinnati Enquirer. "To go to a winning team that was in the playoffs and compete at the top level, that's nice."

"David West is a guy that I am truly excited about," said Hornets coach Tim Floyd. "I didn't know an awful lot about a lot of these guys in the draft, some of the early entries and a lot of the European players that were in this draft, I didn't know much at all. But unless you're living in a cave, you know who this guy is...I think he's going to be excited about getting in here and showing people that he should've been taken earlier. I think he's a great selection."

"We're happy with the guy that we got. He's going to be able to play right now," said Hornets general manager Bob Bass. "He is a far better offensive player than [Charles] Oakley. He is way heads and shoulders above him."